For many years, the game of golf has proven to be a challenging sport of enduring popularity. Part of the game's appeal stems from the fact that players of all ages and abilities can participate, with all players being able to experience the challenge of any given golf course and the excitement of skillful play.
Part of the challenge of the game relates to the player's evaluation and interpretation of the geography, relative distances, hazards, and obstacles of a given golf hole. In this regard, skillful play on the putting surfaces of the course's greens requires study and evaluation of a number of different variables.
In particular, a player must evaluate the manner in which his putting stroke will be affected by the sloping surfaces of the green, its relative "speed", and the influence of the grain of the grass of the putting surface. Grain generally refers to the predominant direction in which the grass of the putting surface tends to grow.
The direction of the grain can be influenced by the green's slope, its orientation relative to the prevailing weather conditions and natural light, and the type of grass used for the putting surface. The combination of these variables sometimes results in a green exhibiting more than one direction to the grain of the grass. Moreover, the regular cutting and grooming of a green can influence the effect of the grain on putting. Specifically, cutting can increase the effect of the grain on a ball's rotation, since cutting typically results in relatively "blunt" ends of the blades of grass to be presented to the ball.
Accordingly, the present invention contemplates an arrangement whereby a player can be assisted in evaluating the grain of the grass making up the putting surface of a golf hole.